The oil sketch is a traditional way for painters to execute preparatory ideas and quickly capture initial impressions – perfect for plein air painting! Learn useful techniques for rapidly encapsulating color and form while working directly from observation. Locations with shade and restrooms include Bartram’s Garden along the Schuylkill River and the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum, near Philadelphia International Airport. Note: Students are responsible for their own transportation to painting locations.
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Roger Chavez
Cost: $325
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Website, email, 215-972-7632

Painting the human form from observation is one of the cornerstones of PAFA's long tradition of rigorous instruction. Working from the nude model, investigate color mixing, proportion, and composition using oil paint as a medium. Focusing on alla prima painting techniques and a limited flesh-tone palette, learn to model the human form through gesture, shape, volume, and temperature – excellent for painted sketches and preparatory studies, foundations for extended work, or an introduction/refresher to figure painting. Intended for all skill levels, this course also offers the valuable opportunity for more advanced students to continue to hone their skills to deepen their understanding of the language of painting. Instruction will be geared toward oil, but students may draw-only, or use other appropriate media.
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: David Wilson
Cost: $330
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Website, email, 215-972-7632

Learn to explore new possibilities and paint more intuitively under the guidance of artist/critic/mentor Kassem Amoudi! Work from personal subject matter (objects, images, emotions, or ideas) to find your own visual language, informed by examples from contemporary and modern art. Examine how to use concepts of color, harmony, focal point, space, and mark-making as powerful tools of personal expression. Open painting is heavily supported by critiques and advice from the instructor as he works one-on-one with each student to guide them in their personal style and goals. This course is excellent for students pursuing abstract or nonobjective imagery, seeking knowledgeable feedback and a focused community painting environment. Painting experience recommended.
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Kassem Amoudi
Cost: $450
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Website, email, 215-972-7632

Paint on location in Philadelphia's beautiful and historic Fairmount Park at select locations including Laurel Hill Cemetery featuring terraced grounds, sculpture, and amazing views of the Schuylkill River, the Fairmount Park Horticulture Center and historic park mansions! The instructor will demonstrate techniques, reference art historical examples, and encourage personal expression. Instruction will be geared to watercolor, but experienced oil/acrylic painters are welcome. Free parking and restrooms will be available.
 
Location: Philadelphia, PA, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Keith Leitner
Cost: $195
Sponsor: Cerulean Arts Gallery and Studio
Website, email, 267-514-8647

Tell your story with a painted wooden box! Join artist and educator Noreen Scott Garrity for this workshop blending artistic expression and craft. Design and paint your own wooden box and make a unique artwork, anything from a functional box (like a jewelry box) to a Joseph Cornell-style assemblage or a cigar box purse. A variety of wooden cigar and wine boxes will be provided by instructor for you to paint, collage, and embellish.
 
Location: Philadelphia, PA, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Noreen Scott Garrity
Cost: $125
Sponsor: Cerulean Arts Gallery and Studio
Website, email, 2672908791

Don't miss this opportunity to paint the life model in oil with guidance from noted figure painter Carolyn Pyfrom in this all-day intensive workshop! Learn to simplify complex figurative forms and carefully observe value and color. Use a limited palette to tackle the basic formal elements of painting with an emphasis on accurate tonal structures and the creation of a convincing sense of light and atmosphere. Suitable for students with basic painting experience.
 
Location: Philadelphia, PA, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Carolyn Pyfrom
Cost: $150
Sponsor: Cerulean Arts Gallery and Studio
Website, email, 2675148647

Unleash a new level in your painting! Choose a photograph of your own and explore methods and techniques for abstracting a scene from a small value or color study to a larger contemporary piece. A short demo, art examples and individual instruction will be provided throughout the day. Students may work in oil or acrylic. Please bring several photos to choose from and include one small (6 x 6 to 8 x 10) and one large (16 x 20 to 24 x 36) substrate with your supplies.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Abby Ober
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

This course will focus on issues of, composition, color, texture, measure, likeness, proportion, with special attention given to technical painting issues, like, how to translate skin’s complex surface characteristics in paint. Demonstrations of a layered painting technique to bring out the full depth and richness of color in our portraits will be presented and discussed. Portraits often reveal a variety of qualities of the sitter, like social class, age, beauty, occupation, etc. The class will include demonstrations, discussions of masterworks, both traditional and contemporary, and thoughtful feedback on work. This course is open to all skill levels, from beginners to advanced, encouraging all participants to deepen their knowledge of portraiture through the process of painting.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Ernie Norcia
Cost: $470
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Take your work to the next level under the mentoring guidance of artist/critic Kassem Amoudi. In this live focused open studio environment, all levels of students will discover how to enhance their own visual language and interests exploring new ways of painting. Expert instruction and advice from the instructor will push students to explore new possibilities and work more intuitively, allowing unplanned marks and passages to become artistic breakthroughs. Examples from contemporary and modern art will be examined to promote a broader understanding of the abstract qualities of space, line and color. Advance beyond confined lines and hard edges to a more liberated way of painting. It does not matter What you paint. It is the How you paint it.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Kassem Amoudi
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Designed for artists ready to challenge themselves and take their work to the next level, this class is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of the artist's own creative process and sensibility. A variety of subject matter will be explored. Level: Previous drawing and painting experience is recommended.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Karen Fogarty
Cost: $420
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Bring your paintings to life! Whether it is portrait, still life, landscape or abstracts, the presence of light against shadow gives the subject form and dimension. Bring your own inspiration to class and with this principle in mind, watch your paintings come to life! Composition and color mixing will be a focus in this class. All mediums and skill levels are welcome!
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Stefanie Lieberman
Cost: $375
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

For both the novice and experienced artist, copying the work of the old masters is a time-honored tradition. This methodology has been used by the likes of Da Vinci, Degas, and Sargent. In this class, students will have the opportunity to render drawings and paintings from masterworks of their choosing. Materials will depend on the type of work being pursued, which will be discussed on the first day. Students should look forward to increased knowledge of art history, color theory, composition, and perspective.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Sasha Diehl
Cost: $350
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Acquaint or re-acquaint yourself with the pleasure of oil painting. Learn about the materials and techniques that form the basis of the medium. Students will use still life, simple and complex, as subject matter. All levels are welcome.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Karen Fogarty
Cost: $420
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Using an expanded palette of oil paint, emphasis will be on capturing the immediate impact of light on simple, basic shapes in order to better understand color relationships. Students will explore simple relationships of color using still life objects using the vocabulary of color theory. Once the ability to calibrate fundamental overall color relationships is developed, larger relationships will be broken down into smaller ones. Experimentation with paint and loose, energetic paint handling is encouraged! Level: Intermediate to Advanced, an expanded color palette is required.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Sharon Henderson
Cost: $350
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Using simple everyday objects in thoughtful well-lit compositions, students create fresh and dynamic paintings. Through instruction, demos, and examining the work of master and contemporary painters, students begin with a direct painting approach and proceed in clear stages. The course covers the key ingredients of great painting, including composition, paint handling, edges, value and color relationships, and modeling form. Students will develop a solid and dependable approach to painting, providing a strong foundation to build upon. Appropriate for beginner and intermediate painters. The returning student is free to work on independent projects whether still life, landscape, or the figure.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Sasha Diehl
Cost: $350
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Students explore all aspects of working with oils, with a strong emphasis on composition, color mixing and various painting techniques. Individual instruction provided in a fun and relaxed atmosphere. Ideal for beginners as well as more experienced artists.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Stefanie Lieberman
Cost: $420
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Working from your own reference material, we will spend each week focusing on a particular aspect of landscape painting. Individual techniques will be held each session in a supportive atmosphere. Syllabus will be provided. Please bring painting materials to the first class. All mediums welcomed.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Bonnie Mettler
Cost: $375
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

My representational paintings have been described by art critics as “evoking nostalgia, like that of an old sepia toned photograph, often with just touches of color.” Curiosity about the medium I work with is often the first question of many viewers. Is it watercolor, is it oil? With my answer: “somewhat both.” I paint with water soluble oils, in a very limited tonal palette. My tools include squeegees, toothpicks, paper towels and Qtips giving my paintings a washy, vintage feel as I carve away the drawing to reveal the painting!
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Beth Bathe
Cost: $20 members | $25 non-members
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

In this course, we will be painting small, loose paintings of varied subject matter comprised from images that students will submit. Learn how to break down an image to its most important aspects and not get tied up in detail from the start. Composition, color mixing and painting technique will be addressed in a fun and relaxing painting experience! All skill levels welcome.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Stefanie Lieberman
Cost: $375
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

This course is designed to create paintings that we will build from a loose, underpainting and refine as we go along. This class is ideal for those painters who want to break out of the habit of focusing in on details and let the paint create a more expressive piece. Attention will be paid to composition, color mixing, paint application and technique. All skill levels welcome in a fun and relaxing atmosphere!
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Stefanie Lieberman
Cost: $375
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Working in oil or pastel from photographic reference, this class is about translating the photographic image onto either canvas or paper. Focusing on color, value and mark making as essential tools, students are encouraged to move a step beyond the restraints of a camera to create a successful and personal work. Discussion will include working with painting mediums and exploring different techniques. Oil and pastel. Additionally, there will be a still life set up for those who prefer.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Anne Graham
Cost: $330
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Are you stuck on a painting and don't know what to do? Bring a problem painting or two to this workshop and artist and educator Tom Csaszar will help you find a solution. The day will begin with a critique and discussion to illuminate the issues in your painting and possible strategies to remedy them. Next you can work on your painting, or an alternative sketch or drawing, in your chosen media. You will work alongside the instructor and the group in this second part of the workshop, with ongoing feedback and discussion. Ideal for painters of all levels in all media including oil, acrylic, watercolor, and gouache.
 
Location: Philadelphia, PA, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Tom Csaszar
Cost: $95
Sponsor: Cerulean Arts Gallery and Studio
Website, email, 267-514-8647

Wondering what Water Mixable (Soluble) Oil paints are all about? Known for blurring the line between watercolor and oil paintings, Beth Bathe's unparalleled style evokes feelings of nostalgia, like an old sepia-toned photograph. Beth uses unconventional tools including squeegees and Q-tips, along with her brushes focusing on composition, values, edges, and drawing rather than color. During this one-day intensive workshop, Beth shares her unique technique with students. In the morning Beth will do a demo from a still life setup and show how she uses simple apps on her phone to simplify forms, enhance value and emphasize composition. In the afternoon students will work from similar still life setups. This workshop is for all level of painters.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Beth Bathe
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Without question, every oil painter benefits from color mixing instruction:  Understanding how to accurately see, mix, and adjust color not only allows you to achieve the results you want in your work but also enables you to avoid the pitfalls of wasting paint though inaccurate and poorly understood pigment mixing.  Explore key methods and principles for effective color mixing, using a limited palette to create prismatic hues and earth tone colors. Instruction will address the role of light in the visual perception of color, as well as subtractive and additive color systems. Work from varied still life arrangements to put your color comprehension into practice, and advance your painting skills for all subject matter. 
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Roger Chavez
Cost: $295
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Website, email, 215-972-7632

Enjoy open-air painting in beautiful Valley Forge National Historical Park, a painter’s delight of lush scenery and historic architecture! Located in Montgomery County, 35 minutes northwest of Center City Philadelphia, the park features great views of the Schuylkill River, Valley Creek, the Valley Forge Farm, Mt. Joy, Mt. Misery, and many valleys, cabins, and colonial houses, with ample parking and access to restrooms. Working from diverse landscape subject matter, students will learn the essential materials, tools, techniques, and strategies for painting on site. Instruction will cover a variety of plein air approaches, including painting with a knife and brush, painting from an imprimatura, Macchiaioli painting, and working from sketches to block in local color.
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Charles Muldowney
Cost: $325
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Website, email, 215-972-7632

Paint portraits from a variety of models using the direct painting method. Examine the proportions and volumes of the head, as well as the placement, structure, and characteristics of the facial features, through preliminary drawings and demonstrations. Develop color using a limited palette to understand how to use chroma, temperature, value, tint, and tone. Instruction will address materials, composition, paint handling, and color mixing, blending, and theory. Homework assignments working from photos, Masterworks, or oneself/others will encourage students to learn to make personal aesthetic and technical choices and to practice concepts addressed in class. Open to all levels, this course is excellent for beginners as well as experienced students who want to review fundamental techniques or who simply enjoy painting portraits from life.
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Roberto Osti
Cost: $590
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Website, email, 215-972-7632

Paint from a life model in a single pose for the entire course. Extended time with a single subject allows students to work with the instructor to tailor exercises that address their individual interests, including the development of one large image or several smaller studies. The first session will include time for gestural and thumbnail drawings in preparation for the model’s final placement. Instruction will cover a variety of topics including glazing, broken color, surface texture, composition and design, the relationship of the figure to the environment, the creation of atmosphere and color harmony, disrupted realism, and open- versus closed-form painting. All levels welcome. Students are welcome to draw-only, or use other appropriate media, if they wish.
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: David Wilson
Cost: $330
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Website, email, 215-972-7632

Reboot your painting practice by incorporating unexpected materials that you wouldn't normally compose a painting with - grocery lists, diary pages, junk mail, things in the street such as a flattened pencil or chunk of sanding belt, or something that you don’t really know what it is but the shape or material interests you. Learn practical methods to incorporate these materials into a cohesive painted surface, as well as strategies for defeating artist's block so you can start and move a painting(s) forward. Question stereotypical notions of what paintings are and how to make them in order to realize your personal vision and practice.
 
Location: Philadelphia, PA, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Philippa Beardsley
Cost: $195
Sponsor: Cerulean Arts Gallery and Studio
Website, email, 267-514-8647

Many artists can feel frustrated in front of a blank canvas, unsure of how to start and what to paint. This workshop offers a step-by-step technique which will enable you to paint with confidence by tapping into your intuitive process and finding inspiration more easily. Experienced instruction and advice from the instructor will push students to take chances and explore unexpected directions and accidental marks as a means of achieving artistic discoveries. Demonstration of different drawing and painting techniques will enhance your knowledge of the process of painting. Students will utilize line, color and space, as well as the possibilities of editing, to create busy/calm areas and focal points in their paintings. Painting experience recommended.
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Kassem Amoudi
Cost: $225
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Website, email, 215-972-7632

The primary focus of this 3-day in-classroom workshop will be on color. While Cynthia is known as a palette knife painter and will give a knife demo, the aim of the workshop is to help people find their own visual voice. What separates you from your fellow painters, what are your particular skills and strengths from which to grow?
 
Location: Marietta, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Cynthia Rosen
Cost: $450
Sponsor: Susquehanna Art Workshops
Website, email, 717-314-9551

You can learn to create wonderfully energized paintings, capturing the light and atmosphere of your subject. Joe's 3-day plein air workshop will fill you with confidence and vision to move you forward.
 
Location: Marietta, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Joe Gyurcsak
Cost: $600
Sponsor: Susquehanna Art Workshops
Website, email, 717-314-9551